SNEAK PEEK: Karis' First Birthday Party!

I had planned on blogging about the process of planning Karis' first birthday (5/8/10) when I suddenly found my self 3 days away from the actual event!  Woops!

So I have decided to just give you a little sneak peak of some of the preparations and things.  Just to give u a  little taste of what's to come.  I'll blog more after the event just to share what was going through my crazy head and how I drove my husband mad!

Enjoy!

 

Cute pinwheels!

 Fun Stuff!

So look out for more pics to see how we celebrated our daughter's first year of life...  :)

LOCKED OUT!!!

Yesterday was a day of panic for me.  It's the type of day my friend Amy would have. No offense Amy,  I love reading of your adventures!  But this wasn't much of a "Ha ha, wasn't that funny!" Sort of moment.  It was more of a "...Ahhhhhhhhh!" kind of moment.

I was going about my usual mommy duties of getting Karis and I ready to go to grandma's house in Elmont.  I placed Karis in the kitchen and buckled her up in her high chair.  We live on the second floor of a private house in East New York so getting the car packed up isn't the easiest thing to do with an 11 month old.  I grabbed about 4 heavy bags balanced them in my hand and headed down the stairs to the car.  Nobody was home in the building. They were either out of town or at work, including Rick.  So that I could have quick access to Karis, I left the door open to the apartment with Karis in the kitchen facing the open door.  As I reached the bottom of the stairs I left the secondary door wide open, again for quick access to Karis, if need be.  So finally, I reached the door that leads to the outside of our building and I say to myself... "Self, don't lock the door."  And subconsciously I turned the lock on the knob of the door and closed the door behind me.

Now at this point I feel great because Karis is safely in her high chair upstairs and I have closed the door to the building so as not to welcome uninvited "guest" to help themselves to our stuff.  I place the bags in the car, close the car door, lock it and walk up the stoop to open the door.  "Click, click!"  Panic set in... I WAS LOCKED OUT!

Just as I was getting ready to have a nervous breakdown I caught myself.  The first thing I did was try to reach for my phone.  But had nothing with me only the keys to my car. "Ok, Rosie, think! ........ Go get help!" My first instinct was to call Rick, or maybe my mom could help.  But no,  I need to get to my daughter ASAP.  So I get in the car to look for a payphone to call 911.  As I drive I NO payphones anywhere so I make my way to my nearest police station, approximately 3 blocks from where I live.  I arrive, finally find parking and sprint down the block towards the station.  When I get inside there are tears welling up in my eyes and panic written all over my face.  Uniformed Police Officers pass right by me.  I found the civilians sitting in the waiting area paying more attention.  Finally, the woman behind the Plexiglas gets back to her desk and says, can I help you?  I tell her that my 11month old daughter is locked in my apartment by herself.  She looks at me funny and says, "You need to call 911."  .......I'm beside myself.....  I tell her I have no cell phone, everything is locked in my apartment.  She said, "Use a payphone it doesn't cost anything".  ........Baffled...... I asked her where there was a payphone because I had driven around and couldn't find one.  She said there is one right outside.  I turned to run outside and a nice man sitting in the waiting room offered me his cell phone so I could call 911.  I called and told them that I was at the police station and she sounded confused.... "You're at the Police Station" (as if saying why can't they help you there?)  So she asked me to go back home and wait there.  So I did.

I arrive back home and listen through the mail slot only to hear Karis crying.  I try to talk to her to say everything will be ok.  Then... it got quiet.  I called her name... nothing.  I try not to think the worse and assume that she's sleeping so I keep trying to call her name to confirm that.  I as I waited for help to arrive it seemed like an eternity.  I cried, I condemned myself for being so irresponsible.

In the distance I begin to hear a fire truck.  I think, "That can't be for me...?"..... but it was.  How embarrassing.  Now not only do I have to live with the fact that I locked my self out of my home, but now the whole neighborhood has to know as well.  So the firefighters came... in full uniform. With large metal hooks and crowbars.  I panicked more.  Now, because of me there will be massive damage to the front door of our building.  Sheesh!  They easily break open the front door and I run upstairs to my now crying daughter.  Unbuckle her and hug and kiss her to death.

I thank the Lord she was OK and had not nuzzled her way out of her seat.  But instead she sat there crying but safe.  I think I was more traumatized than she was.

So now not only does my neighborhood know of my locked out episode but so does the World Wide Web.  Or in the words of former President George W. Bush "The Internets"!
 

A Return to Normalcy...

A friend of mine who just became a new mom recently stated that she was "desperately seeking a return to normalcy." Karis is 10 months old now and the first thing that popped into my head was.... "SO AM I...!!!" I was totally empathizing with her.

Don't get me wrong. I love Karis, and ironically, I can't imagine not having her around. But still, something inside me misses being able to do as I please without the responsibility of caring for an infant. I miss getting up and going... just going. No bags to pack, no formula to remember, etc., etc., etc. I wake up when I want, I go to sleep when I want. If I want to make a quick run to Starbucks I just wanna go! No feeding, dressing, changing, burping, or any other "ing" associated with babies and their care. I JUST WANNA GO!!!

What if I wanna take some classes? Go back to work? Attend a workshop? Take a walk? Take a shower? Will I ALWAYS have to have baby in tow and/or look for daycare that costs as much as a BMW? When will things go back to normal? Will they EVER go back to normal?

Then the answer hit me like a ton of bricks... No. Things will never be the same as they were before Karis. I sit and let that thought marinate.... "Life as you have known it, Rosie, will never be the same again." I thought to myself. For about 6.25 seconds I sank into a state of moderate depression.

I had a choice then to just sit and sulk and throw a pity party. Of which I happen to throw the best pity party in the western hemisphere (my personal opinion). But no, I resolved not to sulk, to put away the streamers and balloons of the "poor me" party and create a NEW NORMAL.

Karis has brought so much joy to my world. She's a great responsibility and I want to make sure I am the best mom I can be for her. So as a new mother I've been learning what MY "New Normal" is. It's a work in progress and is evolving with every new day and new challenge that comes my way. But it's exciting to be able to explore this "new normal" and to experience all of it's twists and turns.

Every new day I am learning to depend more and more on the Lord and this new journey of my "new normal" called, Motherhood. I've always been a pretty self sufficient person. So depending on the Lord or anyone else for that matter has always been a challenge for me. I'm thankful that He is understanding and grateful for his patience.

Our Sabbath: Stop... Rest...

Today Richard, Karis and I observed our traditional Monday Sabbaths. I used to understand sabbath as... well, Sunday- A day to go to the house of the Lord and worship him, listen to a sermon and fellowship with other believers. But it is so much more.

On our Sabbath, our family takes the time to stop, rest, delight and contemplate. This has been something that I have found a little confusing and frankly have a hard time doing. For now, I have been concentrating and pondering "Stop" and "Rest" and what that means in my life. Here are my thoughts:

• We stop working, acknowledging that He is the source of everything we have. By nature I'm what some would call "workaholic". I prefer the phrase "strong work ethic". When I am committed to something I work at it until it is done and done well. At one point in my life I found myself working so hard I didn't/couldn't attend church during the week... at all. I was working as if my life depended on me working and "killing myself" to make things work. So when it comes time to stop... we are acknowledging that we are not God... but HE IS! The world will not come to an end if I stop what ever work, task, errand I have on my very long to do list. We stop to acknowledge that HE IS THE LORD, and He doesn't need my help to make the world go 'round.
• We rest in God's care, to experience His grace in a new way. Resting in Christ has allowed me to really dwell on the fact that, I am unconditionally and deeply loved by Christ, even if I never do another thing "for the Lord". Some may have a real problem with that statement. I know I have struggled, and still am struggling with that. I was a business major in college and began my professional career in an environment where you are what you do. So now coming to a place where we are to rest in the fact that we are loved and accepted even if I don't do another thing... that is difficult. Even in many church cultures, one of the first things we talk people about is all the ministries we are in and all of the things we are doing for the Lord. Although, doing ministry for the Lord is good it can easily become a long laundry list of "look at all the things I'm doing 'for the Lord'." But NO... I don't have to do anything, and I won't be loved any less by God if I never do another thing.

It has been a great day, today. Being conscious of stopping all of the work I do as a stay at home wife and mother (e.g. household management and planning). Resting in the fact that I am loved by God and my world is in His hands. And I am learning to delight by enjoying my husband, my daughter and in anything else that gives me life (more to come on this topic in a future post), and to contemplate and remember the Lords omnipresence in my everyday life.

"What is the sabbath? A weekly day of rest and worship. A day to cease working
relax in God's care for us. A day to stop the things that occupy our workdays
and participate in activities that nurture peace, worship, relationships, celebration
and thankfulness. The purpose of the sabbath is to clear away the distractions
of our lives so we can rest in God and experience God's grace in a new way."

~Lynne M. Baab, SABBATH KEEPING

Weighing In...

I track my weight every Thursday morning and guess what... I gained 1.5 lbs! How disappointing. On top of that I had a really tough day today and just gave in to a can of Coca Cola and some Chinese Food... *sigh*

I have to admit though that can o' coke was soooooooooooooo good! (Haven't had anything but water for a while now.

Here's to the rest of the Weekend and next week!

Tears for a country in need...

As many of you know Haiti was hit by a devastating 7.0 earthquake. Just thinking about the country and the lack of rescources they had before the earthquake and now after this disaster.... My heart aches for the people of Haiti.

My prayer is that the Lord would provide them with an overwhelming amount of aid from across the world. I pray for healing, physical, emotional, and mental healing. I pray that they will be able to rebuild quickly and better than before. That against all odds they will find more people than expected alive and doing well. That is my prayer.

I pray for life and restoration... I pray for Haiti...

Losing Weight in 2010

I gave birth to Karis 8 months ago, and I'm still carrying all that "baby fat" around with me. I went online to determine my BMI (body mass index) and what that means for me and my health. It turns out because I am only 4'11" I am just entering the obese category, putting me at risk for health issues including heart problems. So, in December, I decided to join Weight Watchers.... just before the holiday's! What was I thinking?! I should I have waited until after I've had my Pernil, pie, turkey, pasta, arroz con gandules, etc, etc, etc.

The good news is I have lost 6 lbs since December 17th!!!! I'm feeling motivated and excited to get to my ideal and healthy weight! Woo Hoo!

P.S. I'm also excited to follow a new blog called Diet Buddy! http://dietbuddy2010.blogspot.com/ It has been encouraging to know I'm not alone on my journey.